Rebirth before Apocalypse: My Whole Family are Bigshots!-Chapter 115: On the Posture for Absorbing Crystal Cores
Bai Yifan charged forward all along the way. Though he was driving a van, he handled it with the same carefree abandon as if Uncle Wang were driving a trash truck.
Finally, they arrived at the safe base before dark.
Captain Zhou’s smooth hair became a tangled mess, and the clothes on his body were blown about by the wind.
When they reached the safe base, he was so out of breath he almost went to meet the True God Nuwa.
"Captain Zhou, don’t forget to claim the task reward!"
Bai Yifan’s grape-like eyes sparkled as he looked at Captain Zhou.
This reward was something he painstakingly dug out.
The reward was a must!
The Bai Family’s space was filled with bags of crystal cores.
The crystal cores as task rewards were different from the ones they had at home; they were more appealing.
Like a certificate awarded by a teacher, it held a different significance compared to a batch of certificates bought cheaply online.
"...Alright, don’t... worry!"
Captain Zhou gasped for air, looking visibly exhausted.
Bai Yifan glanced down at Captain Zhou’s feet.
The well-known sports shoes had toes poking out, and the soles were slightly blackened.
It was clear these shoes had gone through quite an ordeal.
After confirming his reward with Captain Zhou repeatedly, Bai Yifan happily walked toward their bus with Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai.
Li Xue and others were originally planning to visit the Bai Family, their saviors. Knowing they were here, they should pay a visit no matter what.
But Captain Zhou stubbornly insisted on tagging along behind Li Xue.
Li Xue thought it was quite embarrassing to have such a large accessory following her.
So she decided to visit the next day.
Bai Xiqin and the others headed toward the living area.
Along the way, Bai Yifan garnered more attention than Bai Xiqin.
When Bai Yifan kept his mouth shut, the only white on him was the whites of his eyes, and the rest was uniformly black.
Coal evenly smeared over Bai Yifan’s entire body, gleaming black.
Outside the bus, the elderly trio had set up a small table again.
Playing Dou Di Zhu, never getting tired of it.
As always, Uncle Wang’s face was plastered with paper notes, while Bai Zhengxuan and Uncle Liu’s faces were clean.
Underneath the tiny table, two mutated vines swapped cards.
Almost every time, Uncle Wang lost before he even played a card.
Yet Uncle Wang never grew tired of it, pulling Bai Zhengxuan and Uncle Liu to play Dou Di Zhu with him every day.
At this point, it wasn’t even about playing Dou Di Zhu!
It was clearly about battling Uncle Wang!
What’s more astonishing was that Uncle Wang never suspected them of cheating, nor did he realize his own incompetence.
"Wow! Your grandson’s really something!"
Uncle Liu’s eyes twinkled as he first laid eyes on the coal-covered Bai Yifan.
Simultaneously, Uncle Wang and Bai Zhengxuan turned and immediately spotted Bai Yifan approaching.
For the first time, Bai Yifan was this eye-catching.
Normally, Elder Bai Zhengxuan should see his precious granddaughter at first glance!
"Xiao Fan! Did you have fun?" Bai Zhengxuan twitched his mouth.
"Grandpa, I wasn’t playing. I was out on a mission!"
Bai Yifan earnestly corrected Bai Zhengxuan, a proud aura surrounding him.
This time, he contributed significantly to the mission, even personally digging open the entrance to the mine.
Among eleven people, he was the only one truly working hard.
Though it was tiring, he felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Those people were more concerned with flirting, chasing girlfriends, not a single one taking the mission seriously.
Really putting one’s mind at ease!
"...Fine! Go wash up on the bus!" Bai Zhengxuan dropped his hand under the table, pinching a card from the vine with his fingers.
Once this child washes up, he might be passable.
A hundred pounds of meat, you can’t say you don’t want it just like that.
"Alright!"
Bai Yifan cheerfully dashed into the camper, darting into the shower under Bai Anhai and the others’ astonished gazes.
The camper had a designated wash area, rarely used unless Bai Xiqin wasn’t convenient to bring everyone into the space.
"Xiao Niu, take a break after returning, you’ve worked hard!"
Bai Zhengxuan smiled warmly at Bai Xiqin.
The little brat Bai Yifan had played himself out. Xiao Niu surely had the hardest time along the way.
"Okay."
Bai Xiqin smiled back at Bai Zhengxuan, sneaking a peek at Uncle Wang’s hand.
There was a King Bomb, two bombs, and a few straights.
With Old Liu and Old Bai cheating, Uncle Wang lost before playing a card.
"Uncle Wang, if you can’t handle it, why not just play the ’King Bomb’?" Bai Xiqin asked in confusion.
Uncle Wang shuffled his cards earnestly, "The ’King Bomb’ is for the final blow, you don’t just play it at the start!"
Uncle Wang donned an understanding look, plastering another paper note on his face as he eagerly resumed dealing the cards.
Bai Xiqin: ...
Is that why you never play a single card?
Indeed, you can’t underestimate the seniors. Bai Xiqin couldn’t understand the subtlety in senior Dou Di Zhu.
Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai boarded the bus, where Bai Anhai and the others were holding crystal cores, enhancing their powers.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Wang Yiyun glanced at the black footprints Bai Yifan left on the ground, offering a gentle consolation to Bai Xiqin.
Out on the journey, taking care of a mischievous little brat was tough.
Bai Xiqin scratched his head, "It wasn’t hard, Xiao Fan really helped a lot!"
Except for hiding and trembling when they encountered the fiery sparrow, he did put in a hundred percent effort in mining!
Wang Yiyun shook her head, disagreeing.
The crystal core in her hand turned from clear, glass-like white to waste residue, after which she tossed it into the trash can and picked up another crystal core to absorb.
The trash can already had half of its content turned into ashes.
This was the amount the Bai Family absorbed in one day.
Every day, the Bai Family absorbed a massive number of crystal cores, standing out in the ranks of superpower users.
The Bai Family clearly belonged to the top tier.
Dinnertime was approaching.
Leng Yebai instinctively rushed to the kitchen, and soon the aromatic scent of food was wafting out.
Outside, Bai Zhengxuan threw down the playing cards and stepped toward the bus.
"I need to absorb a crystal core quickly before dinner, why don’t you two play ’Pick-up Sticks’?"
Bai Zhengxuan, already in his seventies, walked with impressive vigor.
For a chance to enjoy oily braised pork and soy-braised pig trotters every day, he never missed absorbing crystal cores to enhance his powers, no matter how busy.
Soy-braised pig trotters were his joy on the path of enhancing his powers.
"I’m not playing either; I need to go enhance my powers!" Uncle Liu decisively dropped his playing cards.
Without Old Bai cheating with him, he feared losing to Uncle Wang!
Powers had to be improved; in this post-apocalyptic world, the powerful had the final say.
"Why bother absorbing crystal cores! I’ve never absorbed crystal cores. The absorbing posture isn’t fun; you have to stay still, holding a crystal core like a fool!"
Uncle Wang muttered to himself.
The Bai Family enhancing their powers with crystal cores: ...
*
Morning.
Captain Zhou came early, holding crystal cores, to knock on the Bai Family’s bus.
Captain Zhou was one of the base’s top ten captains. Tasks involving him could directly claim rewards without waiting for verification.
